Iran Deploys Elite Units For ‘Great Prophet 19’ Exercises: Warns Israel to Avoid ‘Large Scale War’

<p >The Iranian Revolutionary Guard Corps is currently holding the ‘Great Prophet 19’ large-scale military exercise in the country’s Kermanshah province, a territory that faces the country’s leading regional adversaries Israel and Turkey. The exercises are intended enhance the combat readiness of elite units and test a number of newly developed weapons systems. Exercises are intended to bolster the operational capacity of Iranian forces and address potential threats from hostile groups. Initial phases have included rapid response scenarios, including the strategic deployment of personnel and equipment in the Avroman mountainous regions. The exercises were initiated at a time of high tensions between Tehran and Israel in particular, and less than a month after Israeli and Turkish backed Islamist militant groups overthrew the government of Tehran’s closest strategic partner Syria on December 8, 2024. With Israeli and Turkish forces having advanced far into Syria, and increasingly appearing set to annex large parts of its territory, Iran’s newfound isolation in the region has fuelled speculation that Israel could launch a new series of attacks against Iranian targets. </p><p ><img src=" title="Israeli Merkava Tanks Advancing Into Syria After Fall of Damascus"></p><p >The Iranian Revolutionary Guard Corps is responsible for both domestic security and for almost all foreign operations, and recently suffered a major setback when over a decade of efforts to bolster the Syrian state against Western, Turkish and Israeli backed Islamist insurgent groups ended in the fall of Damascus and a victory for the insurgency. The corps’ operations are in future expected to be focused more heavily on operations domestically and in neighbouring Iraq, where it still retains close ties with the local armed forces and a number of local militia groups. At a time of high tensions between Israel and Iran, Iranian Foreign Minister Abbas Araghchi on January 4 stated that Tehran was “fully prepared for the possibility of further attacks by Israel.” “I hope Israel will refrain from taking such reckless actions, as it could lead to a large-scale war,” he stated, adding: “we believe that reason will ultimately prevail and prevent actions that could have serious consequences.” Preceding the advances by jihadist groups in Syria concentrated in the Turkish border regions, which had Turkish special forces embedded within their ranks, Iran and its strategic partners were seen to have the upper hand in their conflict with Israel, with Syria’s defeat having marked a major turning point in the favour of Israel, Turkey and their Western supporters. </p>